Repercussões das quedas na vida dos idosos e seus familiares

Abstract

Qualitative study was exploratory and descriptive, whose goal was to understand the impact of falls in the lives of seniors and their families from their perspectives. Data collection was performed at home with 15 elderly and 22 family members, through semi-structured interview containing questions about the impact caused by falls in the lives of the elderly who have fallen and their families. The results of this research reveal that falls cause similar impact on the lives of older people who fall and in the lives of families who experience a fall. The life of the oldest old suffer repercussions as it appears the fear of recurrent falls, role limitations, dependency, declining functional status, social isolation, and even changes in behavior. While familiar, the repercussions are based on financial impacts and reduction in working hours, change in daily routine due to the care provided to the elderly caidor, reduced social activities, excessive concern with consequent restriction of long-living activities. The results provide information to health professionals, especially nurses, as they suggest strategies for preventing the occurrence of falling through health education, the integral for the elderly and for family assessment and the importance of home visits, which enable the professional to provide individual, differentiated and appropriate assistance to the needs of those involved in the fall event.